Across Oceans
by Sarah August
Summary: Elena and Elijah meet several years after TVD S8. Short story.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Across Oceans

 **Summary:** It's been ten years since TVD S8. Elena woke up and found the world changed around her. Damon died, leaving her alone. Stefan was no longer a romantic option. He sees her, and remembers. Short story.

 **Author:** Sarah August

A pair of doe eyes, and that olive skin. Walking in the sunshine, holding the hand of her own miniature doppelganger. Elijah suspected that the little girl she was holding hands with was Elena Gilbert's daughter. Likely five years old, or close to it.

Elena was different than the last time he met her. It was true, she was no longer a vampire. Life was back in those deep doe eyes he had a many centuries fondness for. She was the girl again, she once had been, but grown up. A daughter of her own, happily keeping in step with her mother as they crossed a park in main square, Mystic Falls.

Damon was dead, her love. That much Elijah had kept up on. He suspected that Stefan had stepped back into the picture again. There had always been one brother, or another for the Petrova doppelgangers. And their last name was usually _Salvatore._

He cut them off in the park. Elena seemed surprised to see him, but also delighted. "Elijah, this is my daughter, _Isabella_."

The little girl reached out a tiny hand to shake his with, and Elijah smiled at the innocence that were alive within that young gaze. He had very little experience with speaking to children in his lifetimes on this earth. His _lifestyle_ prevented it. "I named her after my mother's _Isobel_ and _Miranda_."

"Did you and _Stefan_..." Elijah started.

Elena shook her head no. " _I married_ after I went back and finished college. I'm not yet _a doctor,_ but closer to it now. "

Elijah smiled, happy for her. This Petrova finally had the chance that those who came before her, did not. A real life for herself, and a family. " _Elena_ , I'm proud of you." Elijah said. "You've come far."

"Are you still in _New Orleans._.." She offered, changing the subject from herself.

"No," He said. Elijah remembered why he wasn't. "It just wasn't meant to be. Klaus still lives there though and our siblings. He is raising his daughter there. It was a good place for all of us, once upon a time."

It had never worked out with the young wolf he'd fallen in love with. He loved her, but Hayley never recovered from the loss of her husband. They got together too quickly afterwards. And when they had, Klaus did not make anything easier for them. He felt he was a threat to his position as father to their daughter, Hope. It had trained wreaked everything between Hayley and himself. Elijah couldn't help but wonder what information Elena was hiding about her own life.

"I'm sorry things never worked out, Elijah," said Elena, her tone soft. "It's not easy when you lose someone you love. My husband Jason...he died...shortly after we had Isabella."

Isabella had wondered off to play on the swing that was near them. Elena watched her play while talking to him.

"What happened with Damon..."

Elena smiled uneasily. "He died before we could...see each other again. There was this thing...this creature...it took him over. I never got to say anything to him...no goodbyes...nothing. After so much between us...I was shell-shocked to lose him... And Stefan...he was there for me. But what we had...we just couldn't reconnect again. I then did the one thing I never thought I'd do. I let them both go."


	2. Chapter 2

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. But I knew I couldn't spend this new chance at life, I've been given, waiting for someone who couldn't come back to me this time," Elena confided her feelings about losing Damon. "Jason came along when I needed to move on. He just made everything click together. Everything worked again in my life. And then we found out about Belle, and then Jason got sick...it was so hard to go through it, but I'll never forget what he meant to me."

"Elena," said Elijah, studying the look upon her face. A look that bare the loss of her young husband, and a look that showed pride when speaking about the equally young daughter that had graced that marriage, which barely had time to grow, before the lights had been cruelly turned out. "You make it look easy. I am very sorry for your losses, these past few years."

"Ten years since I woke up again...I had dreamed about him, so much. Every moment, almost. I couldn't stop missing him. And when I found out from _Stefan_ that he...that he died. I wanted to go to sleep again. He was there, at least... I lost so much...I never thought I'd love Damon _like I did_...but I regret nothing about it. I hurt Stefan, _so much._ But I couldn't regret my time with _Damon_..." Elena trailed off. Elijah was curious at how the second involvement with Stefan had gone, but decided not to ask.

 _I hurt Stefan, so much._

* * *

 _He went down on one knee, and Elena couldn't speak. She was too-moved too. "Elena, I know we never got to this point, in the best way," Stefan began. "But I love you, and I want this. I want this for us, and I know you want it too..."_

 _Elena remembered the day dreams that the Travelers gave them once, about fifteen years ago now. She remembered how it felt to be that close with Stefan again. How wonderful it had felt... "Stefan, I love you too..."_

 _He put the engagement ring on Elena's finger, and just like that, they were engaged to be married. It was no dream this time._

The look on Elena's face told Elijah not to ask about her second time with Stefan, and he thought it was for the best. Elena's face spoke of happiness, joy, but also bitter loss. Something had happened to break Stefan and Elena up. Perhaps her meeting Jason had been the key to their undoing. 

"Mommy, can we go home?" asked Isabella. She gently took her mothers hand. The girl eyed up Elijah, curious, but said nothing. Elijah decided that the little Petrova had a fantastic poker face. She did not like him speaking to her mother.

"We can," Elena smiled. "Elijah, it was great seeing you again. Will you be in town for long?"

"For a few days," He said, sounding hopeful he might see Elena again. Elijah couldn't help himself. A feeling he felt, whenever she was near, was surfacing again.

"How about dinner tomorrow night? Our house?"

"Let's," He said.


	3. Chapter 3

" _Want to have dinner later?"_

Elena stared into the handsome face of Jason Myles.

Beautiful eyes, like dark water, stared back at her. He was so incredibly, good looking. Elena felt something inside her stir. It was like feeling music itself, whenever her lab partner was close by. It was something new. Different from the true love she felt for Damon, and the deep connection that never seemed to entirely die with Stefan.

Jason was _different_ , and she felt so close to him, that she felt like she could never let go of him. But there was one serious problem about her _new love_. Well, it involved herself, really. In a name, _Stefan Salvatore._

Stefan, who'd been in the picture since the loss of Damon, almost. They had found their way together, back to being in love with each other. Elena could not dream of life now, without him. He was her best friend, her lover, her love, her _everything._

But she had somehow, fallen in love, with the man before her. She wanted to say yes, she wanted to have dinner with Jason. They could do it as friends. Elena lied to herself.

So dinner with Jason happened, followed with other dinners and secret dates. Everything was perfect until Jason realized that she was still with Stefan. Then she'd hurt him. He broke it off right away, and Elena was in agony. It took until that moment to make her see the truth. She was no longer in love with Stefan. She wanted only one man, who no longer wanted her.

It was three months until their wedding day, and she was ending their relationship. Stefan was deeply hurt by the break up. He never seen it coming. Stefan never thought another would come between them again. But she was honest. She was in love with someone else.

Jason still wasn't receptive to her when she told him that she broke her engagement. He felt that he came between Stefan and herself, and he wasn't alright with knowing that. Elena wasn't going to give up on him though. It took a few months until he agreed to their first date.

"I love you, Elena," He confessed after the first few months together.

Elena grinned happily into those beautiful eyes of his. She was finally happy again. She had what she wanted, she had everything. "I love you, too," She said.


End file.
